Teacher accused of sexual assault

Varney is a candidate for Hollidaysburg

Ryan Brown

Staff Writer

rbrown@altoonamirror.com

A Williamsburg High School teacher faces charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a student over the summer.

In a news release Friday, state police at Hollidaysburg said Williamsburg Community School District representatives had contacted them with allegations that science teacher Nikki Varney, 44, had had a sexual relationship with a male student.

Varney is listed on the November ballot as a Democratic candidate for Hollidaysburg Area School Board. She ran in the May primary, but was removed from the Republican ballot and won a spot on the Democratic side.

State police said they investigated the Williamsburg claims and discovered that Varney “had in fact had sexual intercourse with a male student over the summer.”

Police did not indicate the student’s age.

Varney teaches general science, chemistry and physics and serves as the high school’s sponsor to the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science, according to a page on the district website. She has taught there since 1997.

She is set to appear on the November general election ballot as a challenger for the Hollidaysburg board. In comments submitted to the Mirror before the May primary, she cited her long teaching experience as an asset for the job.

Police have not indicated precisely how long the alleged sexual relationship lasted but said the alleged crimes took place in July.

They have filed charges of institutional sexual assault, statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and unlawful contact with minors, according to a news release. A Blair County Prison employee said she had not yet been booked or arraigned as of early Friday evening.